Friday’s Headlines: Back-Patting Edition

We interrupt our daily coverage of congestion pricing to pat ourselves on the back and also find some common ground with Queens Council Member Bob Holden.

It’s no secret that Holden’s position on Citi Bike and bike infrastructure in general has infuriated our readers over the years, but on the issue of ghost plates, covered plates and, now, out-of-state plates, the Maspeth pol has been a real leader.

And we’re not saying that just because he cited Streetsblog’s reporting in his recent resolution urging the state legislature to punish drivers who “improperly” register their cars out of state. We’re saying it because it’s a good proposal, given that the state simply doesn’t do enough about this blatant insurance fraud.

Holden’s resolution didn’t say it outright, but it was clearly inspired by my popular online musical series, “Where Do My Neighbors Live,” featuring a tune by Jimmy and the Jaywalkers (albeit not as catchy as “Criminal Mischief”). (Episodes of the series can be seen here.)

“According to the Streetsblog analysis, out-of-state cars make up a growing proportion of vehicles involved in crashes in New York City,” his resolution states.

We’re hoping it passes. As the Times and amNY showed on Thursday in a story about a covered plate, these drivers need to be found and held accountable.

Let’s get to the news. First, there’s still a lot of meat on the congestion pricing bone — and all politics is Hochul right now:

• Kathy Hochul says congestion pricing gnawed at her because of all the cops and firefighters who would pay the toll on their commutes from the suburbs. The Times provided one reason why that’s asinine in a story about a cop who lied about a crash on his commute.
• Gov. Hochul called a “slice” of pizza a “piece” of pizza for some reason — and raised the specter of a higher-priced slice as another justification for canceling congestion pricing. (Gothamist)
• Meanwhile, her office put out tweets about women’s health, LGBTQ rights, business growth, today’s expected storm and so many others that were just pounced on by congestion pricing advocates who saw the hypocrisy. Here’s a public safety tweet with the snarky follow:

• There’ll be another rally to show anger about Gov. Hochul’s congestion pricing cancelation today at noon in Queens Plaza. Info here.
• It doesn’t look like there will be an MTA board revolt later this month, Crain’s reported, but a boy can dream, can’t he?

• And, finally, hat tip to the Daily Show for reading our piece about the flip-flop and turning it into comic gold.

• We were happy to see that The City did a feature on Paul Graziano, the proud NIMBY who is trying to undermine Mayor Adams’s City of Yes zoning proposal. He’s been fanning across the city telling community boards that a little more housing and a tiny bit more density is going to “destroy” their neighborhoods. It’s just not true.
• The NYPD’s crackdown on illegal mopeds continues (NY Post), but as Gothamist reported (after you get past the super-awkward lede), the problem is that city and state governments aren’t doing enough to make e-bikes easier to get and use safely.
• The Post is OK with cameras that help law enforcement track down stolen cars, even though the paper has a well known bias against cameras that help law enforcement crack down on speeding.
• There’s a new kind of dickwagon in town. (NY Post)
• For all our pain this summer, we may end up with a full-length G train. (Brooklyn Paper)
• So much for us liking Pennsylvania Sen. John “Leadfoot” Fetterman. (NY Mag)
• Another senior citizen was run down and killed by a driver, the third elderly person cut down this week (1010WINS). According to the DOT, pedestrian deaths are up 18 percent so far this year: